DALI, Salvador

Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) was a Spanish surrealist painter born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. Dali was an eccentric Spanish painter who understood how the media worked and used it to its full potential. Dali was a prolific artist, creating more than 1500 paintings during his life time and many works in other mediums, including prints, drawings, sculpture, book illustration, and theater set designs. The young Salvador Dali drew from an early age and was encouraged by his sympathetic mother. In 1922 Salvador Dali moved to Madrid to study painting at the Academy of Arts. Here he began to develop a reputation as an eccentric, attracting attention with his manner of dress, hairstyles, and comments on art. The artist experimented with forms of Cubism and Dadaism during his studies. Dali did not complete his final exams, and commented that those judging his work were not competent enough to grade him. Dali moved to Paris, France, to pursue his career as an artist and to be amongst many of the most progressive artists of the time. It was here that Dali met Pablo Picasso for the first time, a fellow Spaniard whom he greatly admired. He also became involved with Andre Breton and the Surrealist art movement. Around this time he also created surreal works that would come to represent what Surrealism was to many people, with works like "The Great Masturbator" and the famous Dali melting clocks "The Persistence of Memory". In 1929 Salvador Dali met his wife Helena Diakonova, a Russian immigrant that was already married and was more than 10 years older than him. Know as "Gala" she became Dali's muse, lover, supporter and business manager. The couple were married in 1934 and she remained a major part of Dali's life up until his death. Salvador Dali had a falling out with the Surrealists over politics and Dali's behavior. Andre Breton nicknamed Dali "Avida Dollars" and was expelled from the Surrealist movement. Dali was quoted as saying "Surrealism is me". Dali went on to become a great success in the United States. He became a celebrity with his attention seeking comments, appearance and surreal paintings. Dali and his wife Gala spent 8 years in America, before returning to Catalonia in Spain. In 1982 his beloved wife and companion Gala died. He moved to his hometown of Figueres, Catalonia, Spain where he died from heart problems on the 23rd of January, 1989.

Bateau Anthotropic (Amanda Lear) - 1971	Les Deux Nike-Double Victory of Samothrace - 1973	Blue Study II - 1934
Etude de Buste de Femme et Portrait de Jeune Garcon.(Nude and Portrait of a young Boy)	Blue Study I. - 1934	Persistance of Memory - 1980
Les Chants de Maldoror - 1934	Double Victoire de Samothrace - 1973	Henry VIII from Much Ado about Shakespeare - 1970
Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel / Pantogruel's Comical Dreams - 1973	La Bestiaire de la Fontaine Delinise - 1974